Koh Samui is yearly visited by thoussands of foreigners, tourists who come to spend their holiday.
One of the reasons tourists are atrackted to Thailand is its top class reputation of its delicious food and traditional healthy kitchen.
We can ask ourselves, why do foreigners love Thai cuisine so much that Thai cooks are one of the most sought after cooks ?
Many chefs have changed their careers to learn to be Thai cooks because this is the professsion sought after by Thai restaurants in Thailand and abroad.
Answers received from interviewing Thai food lovers are that they love Thai food because they know what they are receiving from Thai food. They know that Thai food is fattering.
After a Thai meal, they can sleep comfortably without indigestion.
It is also accepted thet Thai food is healthy because it contains little cooking oil and a small amount of meat. Each dish contains vegetables or needs to be eaten with vegetables.
The food is also popular because each Thai dish has its charm in the well blended and complimentary tastes.
The consumers feel the mystery of different tastes in the same dish.
When they blend together, the final result is deliciousness.
Beyond the good taste, the dishes offer nutritional and medicinal values.
In Thailand food choices for famuly meals usually depend on seasonal fruits, vegetables and meat or fish. The delightful taste of Thai food derives from natural flavour of all its ingredients which are well-balanced in the dish.
Thai food is one of the healthiest cuisine because it contains no food additive. The flavorful taste comes from spices and herbs; for example, hotness from chili, sourness from lime and tamarind paste, saltiness from salt and fish sauce, and sweetness from sugar and coconut milk.
The proportionally mixed components combined with appropriate cooking methods can result in nutritious dishes with medicinal benefits as well as wonderful taste.
Hereby you can find some of the most popular Thai dishes that will be on the menu of each Thai restaurant, be it a boutique restaurant or a simple traditional eatery..
You also can find a brief information.
Tom Yam Goong (clear spicy prawn soup)
The prawns are soft and perfectly cooked with no foul smell. The soup is clear red from the prawns’ oil, with the prawns’ oil on the surface. The flavor should be a little sour but not too spicy or salty. The soup is fragrant from the lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves.
Som Tam Thai (green papaya salad)
The green papaya shreds in this dish should be tender. The dish is flavorful with a well rounded taste that is not too spicy nor too sweet.
Pad Thai Goong (stir fried noodles with prawns)
The noodles are soft and not lumpy or broken apart. The taste is well balanced. The dish can be seasoned with chili powder for spiceness, sugar foir sweetness, and lime juice for sourness.
Kao Pad Supparod (pineapple fried rice)
The fried rice is tender perfectly cooked and not broken apart. This dish is fragrant from the pineapple.
Poh Pia Tod (deep fried spring rolls)
The spring rolls have a well balanced taste and are golden yellow in color.
They are spicy and not soggy. The dipping sauce is fragrant. These spring rolls go along well with all kinds of drinks.
Gaeng kiew Wan Gai (chicken green curry)
The chicken is light green in color with slightly thick consistency and shiny texture. The coconut milk should blend well with the curry and not seperate into layers. The chicken meat is tender while the eggplants are cooked and soft and their skin not darkened. The spicy flavor dominates the dish. The overall taste is well balanced with the coconut milk giving a perfect sweet flavor and fragrance.
Gaeng Massaman Gai (beef massaman curry with pineapple)
The beef is well cooked and tender. The curry is fragrant with a perfect consistency and a shiny red texture on the top. The flavor is well balanced and equally sweet, sour, salty and spicy. The peanuts are perfectly cooked.
Pad Priew Wan Moo (sweet and sour pork with tomato and pineapple)
The pork is cooked and tender. The vegetables should not be overcooked. The taste should be well balanced.
Gai Pad med ma Muang (stir fried chicken with cashew nuts)
The chicken is completely coated with the sauce and is tender with a shiny texture. The cashew nuts are crunchy and glazed with the sauce making them shiny yet not too sticky. The onions are well cooked. The dish’s overall taste is well balanced.
Pad Ga Prao Gai (stir fried chicken with holy basil)
The dish has an appealing aroma and the chicken has no foul smell. There is not too much sauce from the paste but the dish is also not too dry. The taste is not too spicy with yellow and orange colors from the spur chilies.
Larb Moo (spicy pork salad with roasted rice)
The minced pork is tender with no foul smell and does not stick to each other.
The spicy flavor dominates the salty taste followed by sour flavor. The texture is not too dry with a scent of roasted rice.
Kao Niew Ma Muang (sticky rice with mango)
The sticky rice is well cooked and tender, not soggy and the texture is shiny and not overly sticky.
The creamy flovor of the coconut milk dominates the salty flavor along with a touch of sweetness. The fragrance derives from the coconut milk, whereas the mango are perfectly ripe with no discoloration giving a sweet fragrant flavor.